PLT OF AN SMA SEL DECLARED AN EMER AND DIVERTED TO LAND AT A NEARBY MIL BASE BECAUSE OF EXTREME TURB OVER AND APCHING TO LAND AT THE ORIGINAL DEST UNCTLED ARPT.

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APCH TO LNDG AT IYK AFTER UNEVENTFUL FLT FROM PHOENIX; AZ. ENRTE CONDITIONS ENCOUNTERED WERE NORMAL; WITH STRONG HEADWINDS AND LIGHT TO OCCASIONALLY MODERATE TURB. CONDITIONS PERSISTED TO WITHIN APPROX 3 MI OF IYK; AT WHICH TIME EXTREME TURB WAS ENCOUNTERED. BROKE OFF APCH AND RETURNED TO SMOOTHER AIR TO THE E ABOUT 4 TO 5 MI. TRIED APCH AGAIN; THIS TIME FROM NE. SEVERE TURB AGAIN ENCOUNTERED; THIS TIME APPROX 1 MI OUT FROM LNDG (RWY 20). BROKE OFF APCH AGAIN; DECLARED EMER; AND WAS CLRED TO LAND AT NID (NAVY; CHINA LAKE). LNDG WAS SMOOTH AND UNEVENTFUL. POINTS OF INTEREST: ENRTE/DEST WX WAS CHKED ENRTE. NO RPTS AT IYK WERE AVAILABLE. FROM CONVERSATIONS AFTER-THE-FACT WITH GND PERSONNEL AT IYK; SEVERE WIND CONDITIONS HAD BEGUN JUST PRIOR TO OUR APCH. ENRTE; WE MONITORED A COMMUTER AIRLINER; ALSO ON SAME DEP/APCH FREQ; RPT DEPARTING IYK. NO ADVERSE CONDITIONS WERE MENTIONED. WINDS AT NID UPON LNDG WERE APPROX 20-25 KTS AND WERE 90 DEGS DIFFERENT THAN THOSE AT IYK. WE HAD SIGNIFICANTLY MORE THAN LEGAL REQUIRED FUEL RESERVES ON BOARD. HOWEVER; DUE TO GREAT DISTANCES BTWN ALTERNATE LNDG SITES; STRONG HEADWINDS ENRTE; AND UNKNOWN (UNRPTED) CONDITIONS AT THE ARPTS; IT WAS MY ASSESSMENT THAT NID WAS THE SAFEST ALTERNATIVE.